Overland Park City Council unanimously approves new Black & Veatch World Headquarters and surrounding development

New purpose-built headquarters will anchor sustainable, vibrant community development, reflecting long-term investment in employee-owners and community

OVERLAND PARK, Kan.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Black & Veatch is taking the next step toward continued growth after the City of Overland Park unanimously approved plans for the company’s new World Headquarters and surrounding development at tonight’s City Council meeting. Black & Veatch will break ground this fall and is expected to move into its new home in 2029, advancing its vision for a modern employee-centered campus and its commitment to the broader Kansas City region.

Black & Veatch is the sixth largest employee-owned company in the United States and has called Overland Park home for more than 50 years. As global demand for resilient human critical infrastructure continues to grow across energy, water, power, digital communications and manufacturing, the new headquarters will provide a flexible and future-focused environment that enables Black & Veatch to support innovation, attract top talent, welcome community members and deliver solutions for clients around the world.

The project reflects a collaborative effort among Black & Veatch, the City of Overland Park and the State of Kansas to support long-term business growth, workforce opportunities and continued investment in the region.

“Since our founding in 1915, Black & Veatch has helped shape the world's human critical infrastructure and has called the greater Kansas City region home for more than a century, including the last 50 years from our headquarters in Overland Park,” said Black & Veatch Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mario Azar. “As we continue to grow, our new World Headquarters represents an investment in the next chapter of our company, creating a destination designed to inspire, connect and empower our employee-owners, strengthen collaboration and innovation with our clients, attract and develop world-class talent and welcome our community. We are proud to continue and strengthen our longstanding presence in Overland Park and the greater Kansas City area and grateful for the partnerships that have helped bring our vision to life.”

Designed around how Black & Veatch employee-owners work best, the new World Headquarters will provide a dynamic destination where teams and clients can collaborate and deliver solutions for the world’s human critical infrastructure. Black & Veatch will serve as master developer, working with local partners and contractors including JE Dunn as general contractor, BNIM as designer and Clayco as development manager to ensure high-quality, sustainable delivery.

Key elements of the new World Headquarters include:

• A nine-story building with capacity to substantially grow its local employee-owner workforce
• Open, collaborative workspaces and employee-owner amenities including wellness and mothers rooms, a fitness facility, outdoor terraces, food and beverage offerings, and an on-site daycare
• Exterior green spaces designed to support employee-owner wellbeing and create an engaging campus environment that complements the mixed-use development
• A new parking garage with a weather-protected skywalk connection to the building
• Sustainable design and building performance aligned with the company’s focus on sustainability

The new headquarters will anchor an expansive, walkable mixed-use development aligned with Overland Park’s long-term vision for the College and Metcalf area to become more walkable and engaging, bringing sustained vibrancy to Overland Park. Planned in phases, the broader district is envisioned to include multi-family residential housing, a hotel, retail space and a daycare, creating a live-work-play environment that contributes to the community’s housing supply and economic activity.

“Black & Veatch has been an integral part of the Overland Park community for decades, and we are proud to support this important investment in our city,” said Mayor Curt Skoog. “This development represents a major milestone in our vision for the College Boulevard corridor and reinforces our shared commitment to community success, innovation and economic growth.”

To commemorate this milestone, Black & Veatch will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking event in mid-November.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is the sixth largest 100-percent employee-owned company in the U.S. As a global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 110-year track record of innovation in human critical infrastructure, they have helped clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing resilience and reliability of the most important infrastructure assets in water, energy and power, the electric grid, manufacturing and digital. Learn more at the Black & Veatch newsroom, and on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.